Kosovo: Capitalism means Imperialism, Imperialism means War

Statement of the International Bureau for the Revolutionary Party on the NATO bombings of Yugoslavia

What cynicism! What hypocrisy! Day in, day out millions upon millions of human beings all over the world are exploited like animals for starvation wages. Millions more live in absolute poverty. None of this offends the delicate consciences of the gentlemen of the bourgeois press who are trying to convince us that the bombing of Serbia is for the "humanitarian purpose" of preventing massacre of civilians in Kosovo.

They are shameless liars!

Of course, they are just capitalism's hired hacks. They only obey one logic. This is the logic of the capitalist who exists only to realise the greatest amount of profit even if it means stepping over the corpse of his own mother! In reality the game that is being played out in the Balkans is just one episode in the confrontation between the various imperialist powers in order to gain control of sources of oil, oil revenues and commercial and financial markets. It is a ferocious conflict for domination of the planet.

The United States is trying to prevent the formation of a new imperialist bloc which might be able to compete with them for primacy in the world.

This is why they have widened NATO's presence throughout the entire Balkan region and in Eastern Europe. Having armed, clothed and equipped the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) they aim, with the stabilising presence of their troops in Kosovo, to secure control of the oil of the Caucasus region, to finally relegate Russia (which still remains the world's second military power) to the role of onlooker and, perhaps the most important thing, to deliver a heavy blow to European hopes of playing an independent imperialist role.

The Europeans in their turn, are putting a brave face on things by supporting NATO military action only to avoid the risk of being totally excluded from an area of such vital importance. Meanwhile Europe is hoping to create a common military apparatus in line with its common currency.

Serbia itself, though posing as the sacrificial victim, really hopes to exploit its own strategic position better. It is trying to carve out a role as regional power which would allow its bourgeoisie to pocket a huge income. To do this it has never hesitated to tighten its grip on workers' necks (including those in Kosovo). In the period of greatest economic crisis the Serbian Government imposed a wage freeze, despite the fact that inflation was 2000% per year; revoked all forms of political and economic autonomy, and drowned in blood the anger of millions of workers.

This is no different from what the ruling class is doing the world over. War is not caused by "humanitarian meddling" nor "defence of the nation". The root cause of war is capitalism's incessant drive for greater profit, whatever the cost.

For genuine communists the choice therefore is not between imperialisms.

We don't distinguish between the small and large imperialisms. The politics of choosing the supposed lesser of two evils is opportunist and dishonest.

Any support for this or that imperialist front is support for capitalism. It is a betrayal of the international working class and the cause of socialism. The only way to escape from the logic of war is through the revival of class struggle, in Kosovo as well as the rest of Europe, in the USA as well as Russia.

The solidarity of internationalist communists is reserved exclusively for the workers of Kosovo and Serbia who are suffering under the double weight of capitalist exploitation and the dramatic and direct consequences of imperialist war.

Against war! Against Capitalism! For the revival of class struggle! For rebuilding the Revolutionary Party!

IBRP, 25th March 1999